Implementation of an aggressive random drug-testing policy in a rural school district: Student attitudes regarding program fairness and effectiveness

School districts are increasingly initiating random drug-testing (RDT) programs in an effort to curb substance-use rates among students, yet little is known about student attitudes toward RDT and potential obstacles to program acceptance and effectiveness. The authors surveyed 1011 9th through 11th grade students in 2 rural high schools in North Florida regarding the pending implementation of one of the most aggressive RDT programs in the nation. A significant majority of students predicted that RDT would be effective, yet students were more clearly divided in their perceptions of the fairness and the accuracy of testing. Student perceptions of whether there is a drug problem at their school proved to be a robust predictor of perceptions of policy fairness. Student substance-use rates were more limited predictors of policy effectiveness and fairness. These results may prove useful to school administrators, health professionals, and policy makers seeking to build acceptance for RDT in their schools.     

Action of the palmitic ester of pipotiazine on dopamine metabolism in the nigro-striatal,meso-limbic and meso-cortical systems

Summary The effects of a single injection of the palmitic ester of pipotiazine on dopamine synthesis were examined in slices of the striatum, the olfactory tubercule + nucleus accumbens and the frontal and anterior cingulate parts of the cerebral cortex in the rat. In the two first structures, dopamine synthesis was determined by measuring the rate of formation of ³H–H₂O during the conversion of l-3,5-³H-tyrosine into ³H-Dopa. Newly synthesized ³H-dopamine and ³H-noradrenaline were measured in the cerebral cortex. In some experiments, the specific activity of tyrosine in the tissues was determined in order to calculate the conversion index of tyrosine into dopamine.Marked differences were seen in the three structures examined. The palmitic ester of pipotiazine had a biphasic effect on dopamine synthesis in the striatum; an acceleration occurring for the first 5 days was followed by a marked reduction which lasted for several weeks. A biphasic effect was also seen in the olfactory tubercule + nucleus accumbens. However the first phase of acceleration of dopamine synthesis was of longer duration (about 21 days) and the subsequent inhibitory phase was less pronounced and shorter than that observed in the striatum. The cerebral cortex reacted differently since only a single phase of increased dopamine synthesis was seen. This phase lasted for at least 35 days.The overall durations of the various changes in the rate of dopamine synthesis and in the antiamphetamine (stereotypies) activity of the ester were closely correlated.These results are discussed in relation to the antipsychotic and extrapyramidal side-effects of neuroleptics.     

Acute and subacute effects of neuroleptics on dopamine synthesis and release in the rat striatum

Summary The effects of acute and subacute treatments with moderate doses of thioproperazine and haloperidol on dopamine synthesis and release have been examined in rat striatal slices. Synthesis and release of dopamine were determined by measuring the rate of formation of ³H-H₂O during the conversion of l-3,5-³H-tyrosine into ³H-Dopa and the accumulation of newly synthesized ³H-dopamine in striatal slices and their incubating medium. Possible effects of the treatments on tyrosine striatal levels or tyrosine specific activity were also investigated. Dopamine synthesis rate was markedly accelerated 2.5 hrs after the acute injection of thioproperazine, but was equal to control levels 24 hrs later. The effects of thioproperazine and haloperidol were thus determined 2.5 and 24 hrs after an acute injection and following the last injection of a repeated daily treatment of 11 days. Dopamine synthesis and release were still markedly increased 2.5 hrs after the last injection of the subacute neuroleptic treatments when compared to controls, but these effects were less pronounced than those observed 2.5 hrs after an acute injection of either drug. Conversely, dopamine synthesis and release were significantly decreased 24 hrs after the last injection of the subacute neuroleptic treatments when compared to controls. Two hypotheses are proposed to explain the ments when compared to controls. Two hypotheses are proposed to explain the changes in dopamine synthesis induced by repeated treatments with neuroleptics.     

Enzyme Loading of Erythrocytes

We demonstrated that beta-glucosidase and beta-galactosidase can be trapped inside erythrocytes by rapid hemolysis of the cell in the presence of these enzymes. Enzyme enters only during hemolysis, and optimum uptake occurs within 60 sec. There is no loss in cell number after hemolysis-induced enzyme uptake, and the ghosts have only a slightly increased mean cell volume. Smaller proteins enter more readily than larger proteins, although enzymes with a molecular weight of at least 180,000 can be readily entrapped by erythrocytes. This finding may provide a useful approach to the problem of enzyme replacement in certain diseases, including Gaucher's disease.     

Time-lapse analysis of potential cellular responsiveness to Johrei,a Japanese healing technique

Background  

Johrei is an alternative healing practice which involves the channeling of a purported universal healing energy to influence the health of another person. Despite little evidence to support the efficacy of such practices the use of such treatments is on the rise.     

Role of prostacyclin versus peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor beta receptors in prostacyclin sensing by lung fibroblasts

Prostacyclin and its mimetics are used therapeutically for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension. These drugs act via cell surface prostacyclin receptors (IP receptors); however, some of them can also activate the nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor beta (PPARbeta). We examined the possibility that PPARbeta is a therapeutic target for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension. Using the newly approved (for pulmonary hypertension) prostacyclin mimetic treprostinil sodium, reporter gene assays for PPARbeta activation and measurement of lung fibroblast proliferation were analyzed. Treprostinil sodium was found to activate PPARbeta in reporter gene assays and to inhibit proliferation of human lung fibroblasts at concentrations consistent with an effect on PPARs but not on IP receptors. The effects of treprostinil sodium on human lung cell proliferation are mimicked by those of the highly selective PPARbeta ligand GW0742. There are no receptor antagonists for PPARbeta or for IP receptors, but by using lung fibroblasts cultured from mice lacking PPARbeta (PPARbeta-/-) or IP (IP-/-), we demonstrate that the antiproliferative effects of treprostinil sodium are mediated by PPARbeta and not IP in lung fibroblasts. These observations suggest that some of the local, longer-term benefits of treprostinil sodium on reducing the remodeling associated with pulmonary hypertension may be mediated by PPARbeta. This study is the first to identify PPARbeta as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension, which is important because orally active PPARbeta ligands have been developed for the treatment of dyslipidemia.